How to Generate QR Code in Node.js

Node.js, being a powerful server-side runtime, makes it easy to generate QR codes with just a few lines of code. Follow the steps below to create a QR code generator using Node.js:

Step 1: Initialize Your Project

Start by initializing your Node.js project. Run the following command in your terminal:

npm init

After running this command, a package.json file will be created. The file will look similar to this:

{
 
"name": "QR generator",
 
"version": "1.0.0",
 
"main": "index.js",
 
"devDependencies": {},
 
"scripts": {
 
"test": "echo \\"Error: no test specified\\" && exit 1"
 
},
 
"author": "Huzaifa",
 
"license": "ISC",
 
"description": ""
 
}
 

Step 2: Set the Module Type

To use modern ES6 import statements in your Node.js project, update your package.json file by adding the following line:

"type": "module"

After this addition, your package.json file will look like this:

{
 
"name": "QR generator",
 
"version": "1.0.0",
 
"main": "index.js",
 
"type": "module",
 
"devDependencies": {},
 
"scripts": {
 
"test": "echo \\"Error: no test specified\\" && exit 1"
 
},
 
"author": "",
 
"license": "ISC",
 
"description": ""
 
}

Step 3: Install Required Packages

Install the necessary packages for your project by running the following command:

npm install inquirer qr-image

After installing the packages, your package.json file will now include the dependencies:

{
 
"dependencies": {
 
"inquirer": "^12.3.0",
 
"qr-image": "^3.2.0"
 
},
 
"name": "QR generator",
 
"version": "1.0.0",
 
"main": "index.js",
 
"type": "module",
 
"devDependencies": {},
 
"scripts": {
 
"test": "echo \\"Error: no test specified\\" && exit 1"
 
},
 
"author": "",
 
"license": "ISC",
 
"description": ""
 
}

Step 4: Write the Code

Create an index.js file and write the following code:

import inquirer from 'inquirer';
 
import qr from 'qr-image';
 
import fs from 'fs';
 
inquirer
 
.prompt(\[
 
{
 
message: 'Please enter your link:',
 
name: 'URL',
 
},
 
\])
 
.then((answers) => {
 
const url = answers.URL;
 
const qr_svg = qr.image(url, { type: 'png' });
 
qr_svg.pipe(fs.createWriteStream('qr-img.png'));
 
console.log('QR code has been generated and saved as qr-img.png');
 
})
 
.catch((error) => {
 
if (error.isTtyError) {
 
console.error('Prompt could not be rendered in the current environment.');
 
} else {
 
console.error('An error occurred:', error);
 
}
 
});

Explanation of the Code

1. inquirer: This package is used to take input from the user via the terminal. It displays the message "Please enter your link" and saves the user-provided value in the url variable.
2. qr-image: The qr.image() function generates a QR code from the input URL.
3. fs: The fs.createWriteStream() function saves the generated QR code as a PNG file (qr-img.png) in the project directory.
4. Error Handling: The catch block ensures that any errors during the process are handled gracefully.

Output

When you run this script and input a URL, the program will generate a QR code image named qr-img.png in your project folder. You can open this image to view the QR code.

By following these steps, you can easily create a QR code generator using Node.js. This implementation is efficient, beginner-friendly, and highly customizable for various use cases.